Sound-regulator.



W. W. YOUNG.

SOUND REGULATOR? APPLICATION- FILED IAN. 9, 1 907.

' Patented Nov. 16,1909.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 19%.

Application filed January 9, 1907. Serial No. 351,419.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, WILLIA W. .YOUNG, a citizen oi the United States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hainpden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Sound-Regulator, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices designed to be placed in tubular parts, generally the horns, of sound-reproducing or talking-machines and in tubular parts of musical instruments such as cornets, trombones, and the like, for the purpose of changing the tone, and comprises a flaring holder as hereinafter claimed designed to t in the tubular part best adapted to receive it, and a shutter arranged to open and close the mouth of said holder. The holder on account of its shape and other inherent characteristics is capable not alone of adapting itself to tubular parts of different sizes and. styles, but of being employed without the shutter when it will givegood' results. The shutter can consist of any suitable material or any combination of such materials and is so fastened in the mouth of the holderv as to be readily opened and closed.

The objects of my invention are, first, to produce a device, especially intended for use in horns of talking-machines and in the caacity or" mutes'in wind instruments, Where- )y the sound waves are more or less modified in their passage through a tubular member containing said device so that a softened and mellowed tone is given off; second, to provide a device of this kind which is applicable to a great variety of different tubular parts orhorns; third, to afford means in such a device for changing the relation of the parts for the purpose of varying the volume and quality of sound emitted, and, fourth, to embody my invention in a simple and inexpensive device which is entirely practicable and efiicient and which has all of the advantages noted above. I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a sectional view of the neck of a horn and of one form of my improved holder in such neck; Fig. 2, a similar view showing also one form of shutter, the same bei 1g in its closed position; Fig. 3, a view like theprecedingone except that the shutter is shown open; Fig. at, an outside view of a holder and shutter showing the diaphragmal or movable shutter member hinged to the supporting ring or collar instead of being pivotally mounted therein as in Figs. 2 and 3 5' Fig. 5, a sectional view of a holder and shutter showing the movable shutter member slidingly-mountedrelative to the collar, and, Fig. 6, a side elevation on a reduced scale and partly in section of a slightly modified form of holder.

Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The holder which constitutes an importent and essential element of my invention, since it possesses inherent properties which render it alone adequate for modifying tone to a considerable degree hence can be used independently, consists of a bell-shaped piece 1, preferably of rubber or other suitable yieiding or flexible material, although said piece may be made of metal or other comparatively unyielding material in which case it should generally have a rubber, felt, or other yielding cover, or in place of a cover one or more external rings or hands, to assist in holding the device in the tubular part. This bell-chaped piece or holder is open at both ends. The exterior outline of the holder longitudinally may be plain or curved either inward or outward-the outwardly curved or convex configuration shown having been found to be very satisfactory. A. holder of this description owing to its shape can be titted into a tubular part of almost any instrument or machine for producing or reproducing sound, into the neck portion of a talkingmachine horn, with the small end or mouth 3 of said holder adjacent to the small end of said neck portion of the horn. Although as before stated the holder may be made, if of the proper shape, out of material which i not flexible, a flexible holder is generally to be preferred owing to its adaptability as a modifier of sound and for the reason that it is so'well qualified for proper adjustment in the born. The holder 1 is provided with a suitable tab 4 to facilitate the introduction of the holder into a horn and removal of the same therefrom. The holder is inserted in the neck 2 flaring sides of said holder find lodgment against the tapering sides of said neck to which they readily adjust themselves.

The holder 1 constricts the passage in the neck 2 in consequence of which the sound Waves from the machine impinge thereon through the large end of the horn and the and are thereby rendered sweet and mellow.-

a, as.

To enhance the mellowing effect of the de vice a flan ed ring or collar 1s inserted in the mouth 3 of the holder 1, the lips of such mouth encircling said ring between the flanges of the same, and a diaphragmal member or shutter proper 6 is connected with the r ng to normally till the space therein. This shutter may be variously constructed, the one shown in the drawings consisting of a perforated leather disk 7, a wire gauze disk 8 and an interposed fibrous ring 9, all fastened togeth r in any suitable manner. already intimated, however, the shutter may be made up in numerous ways and of various materials.

The holder 3. affords a convenient medium for the ready insertion and withdrawal of the diaphragmal member, even though such member were nht in the form of a shutter,

nevertheless, T prefer to employ the shutter construction. as I am thus able to secure any desired amount of adjustment which may be required to accommodate the device to the different volumes of sound which the machine or instrument will produce," and to this end I so connect the shutter with the holder or with the aforesaid collar as to permit said shutter to be closed and opened. Furthermore, the provision for opening and closing is such that the shutter can be either opened wide or only partially, can, in short, be opened to whatever extent may be desired or required. A. number digtlerent Ways for inovably mounting the shutter 6 relative to the collar 5 be devised, buteither of the three methods illustrated is practicable. These several illustrated mountings will now he explained.

Taking the first, that shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it will-be seen that two pins 10 are inserted in opposite sides of the ring member 9 of the shutter 6 afterp'assing through adjacent points in the collar 5. The edges of the mouth of the holder llteep the pins 10 in place. T he shutter is thus hung so that it can rotate on a dianietral axis and is closed when it, lies within the collar and open when turned since then the portions of the edges intermediate of the pivotal points emerge from said collar on both sides.

i /hen the shutter is turned so that the planes of the collar andshutter are at right-angles the latter is wide open, as shown 1n Fig. 3, and said shutter can be opened to any less degree, of course, by not turningit so far; The influence which the shutter exercises over the sound emanating from the machine or instrumentwith whichthe device 15 88 sociated is reatest when the "shutter is closed, becomes less when the shutter is opened, the amount of such influence then depending upon the ezitentof the opening, and practica iy ceases when the shutter 1s wide openythis is also true of the other. forms of-construction.

of said holder.

In Fig. 4, the 'shutter 6 isihinged at 11 to the collar 5 and swings outward to open the same. Said shutter is shown partly.- open inthis View. A lug 12, formed by cutting and bending inward a part of the collar, is provided to receive the side of the shutter which is opposite the hinge 11 when the shutter is swung inward and thus insure the proper closing thereof. A. knob 13 is placed on the outer face of the shutter to be grasped for the purpose of operating the latter.

The construction shown in Fig. 5 is such that the shutter is moved bodily in and out of the collar on the same axis with that of the collar to eiiect the closing and opening. In this case the shutter 6 is provided with a plurality of guide-rods 14. adapted to center said shutter relative to the center of the collar 5 and to play back and forth in and through said collar. The guide-rods 14 extend from the periphery of the shutter, parallel with the aXis thereof, into and through the. collar, having their outer ends bent so as to engage the adjacent edge of said collar when sazd shutter is drawn out of and away from the collar into its extreme-open position and thus limit such movement. lVhen the shutter is closed it comes to rest against I one or more lugs 15, similar to the lug 12,

formed on the inside of the collar. The

shutter in this instance is provided with a knob 13 as in the receding case and for the same purpose. T e shutter in Fig. '5 is only part Way openhence will have some influence on the passing sound,'more than if it "were drawn as far away as possible from its :collarthen it would have little or no infiuence.

It is obvious that the collarand shutter I stead of outward as it does now; further more, a s milar rearrangement or read ustment of the parts shown in Fig. 5 can be anade so as to have the shutter there open outward, that is, away from or beyond the holder, instead of inward or into the interior With the knob 13-on the outside of the shutterin the Fig. 4 arrange ment it is necessary. to remove the device from the horn in order to close it, unless a knob be placed on the inside of the shutter,

and a rearrangement .of the parts in the Fig.

5 device'also calls for a knob onfthe opposite face of the shutter.

It is to be understood that, the modified "forms of my'device which include the shutter are to heap lied-to a horn in the same we in which t e device shown in Figs. 2 an 3 is a plied... To change the volume of sound orthe tone, when one of these devices is in use, either reach into the horn and rejarran e the shutter as required, or take out thew ole device, rearrange the shutter and then return the deviceto its former position in the horn.

The holder 1 shown in Fig. 6 has external corrugations 16 which with thesides of an inclosmg horn provide passages for the escape ot'sound and obviate any unsatisfac- V tory mufiled effect that might be otherwise be used without. adiaphragm as well as 'prodiiced by the shutter when' closed, it being understood that the corrugated holder may have a diaphragm like the non-corrugated holder. The corrugated holder can other holder and-when so used much the same effect as the other." 3,

All changes and modifications which may justly be said tofall within, the scope of my invention I desire and" intend to include inand cover by my claims.

What I claim as iny invention, and desire .to secure by. Letters Patent, is'

1. The combination, with a tube of asound producing or reproducing instrument ormachine, of a. removable sound regulator consisting ofa flaring cup-shaped member open throughout and bearing at'its larger "end directly against'the sides of said tube and otherwise curved inwardly and out of touch with such sides, the sides of said memsides of said tubular part. 40

3. Asa new article of manufacture, a reg-' .nlator,'of the class described, consisting of a soft flexible or yielding bell-shaped member open atboth ends adapted to be inserted in and removed froma tubular part, of a or machine, suchmember having an unobsound-producing or v-reprod'ucing instrument structed passa e therethrough and arranged at one termina to bear directly against the sides of said tubular part.

4. As a new article of manufacture, aregulator, of the class described, consisting of a bell-shaped member open at both ends adapted to be inserted in and removed from a tubular part of a sound-producing or -reproducing-instrument or machine, such member having an unobstru'ctedpassage therethrough and arranged at one terminal to bear directly against-the sides of said tubu lar part, and a diaphragmal member in the mouth or most constricted part of said bellshaped member.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a regulator, of the class described, consisting of a bell-shaped member open at both ends adapted to be inserted in a tubular part of a sound-producing or -reproducing instrument or machine, of a diaphragmal member in the mouth of said bell-shaped member adapted to open and close such month.

6. The combination, in a regulator, of the class described, with a bell-shaped holder I open at both ends adapted to be inserted in a tubular part of a sound-producing or -reproducing instrument or machine, and a'ring or col-lar in the mouth of said holder, of a shut ter connected with said collar and adapted to open and close the passage therethrough. .7. The combination, in a regulator, of the class described, with a bell-shaped holder open at both ends adapted to be inserted in a tubular part of a sound-producing or -reproducing instrument or machine, and a ring or collar in the mouth of said holder, of a shutter pivotally mounted in said ring or collar and adapted to open and close the passage therethrough.

8. The'combinat1on, in, a, regulator, of the class described, with a collar, and'a shutter connected with said collar and adapted to open and close the passa e in such collar, of means to support the co lar with its shutter in a tubular part of a sound-producing or repro du cing instrument or machine, such means being independent of and separable from such tubular part.

WI LIAM w. Yours.

.' Witnesses: P. H. MARTIN, F. AI CUTTER. 

